1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly, to a portable terminal adaptable for an indoor purpose or for an outdoor purpose.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, portable terminals have evolved to include multimedia devices capable of providing various additional services, such as an electronic organizer function, a game function, a schedule management function, etc. To perform these advanced tasks, portable terminals are connected to various external devices to further expand their functions, such as music listening, movie watching, image taking, etc. Widespread use of such portable terminals is followed by increasing demands for waterproofing during daily activities. Particularly, any portable terminal has various gaps resulting from required coupling of its components or connection to an external device. Such gaps of a portable terminal are potential paths for water intrusion. For example, there is a gap between the body of a portable terminal and its battery cover, which is fastened to the body to cover a battery mounted on the body. Portable terminals also have various connectors for connection with external devices, such as speakers, earphones, chargers, etc., creating gaps. Such gaps of portable terminals inevitably create various types of water intrusion paths, which can become problematic during common daily activities.
Various waterproofing devices have been proposed to prevent water intrusion through such gaps of portable terminals. An example of the prior art is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0189192, entitled “Waterproof Connector” (publication date: Aug. 24, 2006). In many of the known prior arts, including the above-referenced application, each water intrusion path is provided with a separate component to attempt seal the path. However, it is difficult to effectively seal each water intrusion path using these separate components.
In an attempt to solve this problem, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1027766, entitled “Portable Terminal Protecting/Waterproofing Package” (registration date: Mar. 31, 2011), discloses a device for waterproofing an entire portable terminal. This device according to the prior art is fastened to contact the entire exterior of a portable terminal to maintain it in a fully waterproof condition. Such a protecting/waterproofing cover can store/maintain a portable terminal fully waterproofed by covering the entire portable terminal. However, this attempted solution creates the additional problem of covering the connectors to be used for future connection with external devices. More specifically, if a gap associated with a connector for connection with an external device remains covered by a waterproofing cover, the user cannot connect an external device as desired; on the other hand, if the gap associated with the connector for external connection remains uncovered, it can act as a water intrusion path. In summary, there is no solution for waterproofing of a portable terminal while maintaining its functionality.